Check out this smartphone-charging utility belt

XOO Belt is currently courting the crowdfunders

What about combining an article of clothing with a portable smartphone charger? Well, that's exactly what the XOO Belt aims to do.

Nifty, a UK startup based in Manchester wants to turn you into a technological Batman. Sort of.

The company's next project is the XOO Belt - an innocuous looking tool for keeping your trousers held up - that also houses a 2,100mAh battery for charging your tech on the move.

The battery is built into the belt buckle as well as part of the actual belt and comes with either a microUSB connector or an Apple Lightning cable depending on your mobile of choice.

“We've hidden six overlapping layers of cutting-edge flexible battery within each belt, giving a base power of 1,300 mAh of charge. Add this to the 400 mAh in each buckle—for a total of 2,100mAh—and you've enough to fully charge an iPhone 6 with some left over,” says Nifty.

The company knows its stuff when it comes to chargers too - they produced the MiniDrive MacBook charger through a successful Kickstarter campaign and are currently looking for funds to bring the XOO Belt to your waistline.

Chances are they'll make it too. The belt has raised $31,934 of its $50,000 goal on Indiegogo at time of writing and still has 29 days left to run. If you're interested, a $155 pledge will bag you a belt.

The Xoo Belt is one of the more interesting phone chargers we've seen in recent times, but that doesn't mean its the only one. After all, plugging your phone into the mains to charge is so 2010.

Here's a few more interesting chargers from the T3 archives:

Monster PowerCard

Probably better known for its headphone brand, Monster does in-fact also make portable chargers.

The Powercard is a wallet sized device, designed to give an extra 5 hours worth of charge and thanks to a nifty feature called No Waiting, it'll automatically detect your device and ensure it's charging in the most efficient way possible.

iTap

The iTap is essentially a tap-shaped charger for phones and tablets. Users know the drill; you plug one end of it into a power socket and the other end into your gadgets and - hey presto! - the gadget starts filling up with juice.

However, now you can power up your gizmos with a tap-shaped charger that allows you to twist a plastic faucet. Gimmick? Of course, but it still raises a smile.

Fuel Portable Charger

Measuring only 3.3cm x 2.3cm x 1.3cm, the Fuel fits easily into your pocket for desperate times when you need more battery power.

The tiny aluminum gadget features a micro-USB connector and can hold power for well over a month. Providing 20 to 30 minutes extra of talk time or a couple of hours standby time.

A USB cable is also not included, even though the battery itself charges via USB so you'll have to purchase one separately. But look at it, it's a mini jerry can! How adorable.